Magazine: Max Verstappen and Red Bull F1 special
A Max Verstappen special forms a key part of this week’s Autosport magazine, out today (10 March).
Verstappen is the 34th driver to win the world championship and will bring #1 back to the Formula 1 grid for the first time since fellow Red Bull champion Sebastian Vettel’s final title defence in 2014.
The Dutchman claims being champion makes no difference, that he won’t change. That’s in keeping with his public persona – he wouldn’t admit to the tweaks he made after some major errors early in 2018 – but, as Alex Kalinauckas shows in our cover article, that can’t be the case.
Verstappen’s rapid rise marked him out as a future star as soon as he started to compete. Marcus Simmons talks to some of those who worked with the youngster in his early days to find out what really grabbed their attention.
Honda played a key role in Verstappen’s successful title tilt, no mean feat given the disastrous time it had experienced with McLaren before joining the Red Bull fold. Team boss Christian Horner is one of those to tell Adam Cooper why Red Bull was confident about the switch and how Honda was able to redeem itself so impressively.
One weakness to Red Bull’s game in 2021 was Sergio Perez’s struggles to get the best out of the RB16B. We investigate the best number two drivers in F1 history – perhaps the least-popular important job in motorsport.
David Malsher-Lopez also talks to Australian Supercars champion-turned-IndyCar ace Scott McLaughlin following the Penske driver’s win in the season opener, while Charles Bradley hears from Britons Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat about their Lexus challenge in IMSA.
There’s all the usual international and national news, led by motorsport’s response to the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, plus Stefan Mackley looks at the series catering for junior tin-top drivers in the UK.
And another one of those 34 world champions, Damon Hill, picks out his favourite racing car…
For the best motorsport coverage, from F1 to Britain’s club-racing scene, why not get Autosport magazine delivered to your door each week? Subscribe today and never miss your weekly fix of motorsport.
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Magazine: F1 Chinese GP, WEC Imola and WRC Croatia review
Ranking the top 10 BTCC liveries
Ranking Derek Warwick’s top 10 greatest races
The plot twist that gave Arrow McLaren’s Ward his first IndyCar win as team principal
Formula E’s new Gen3 Evo car breaks cover
The weekly reality check that has kept MotoGP hype off of Acosta so far in 2024
F2 veteran Ghiotto to make IndyCar debut with Dale Coyne Racing at Barber
How motorsport is embracing the opportunities of AI
The unlikely series providing an open door to innovation
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2023
How a lost Lotus that could have revolutionised Can-Am finally came to life
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments